Miley Cyrus [ tickets ] is facing some nasty criticism over what some are calling sexually provocative pictures that recently surfaced on the internet, according to published reports. The 15-year-old Cyrus first was slammed for photos that showed her laying across the lap of her then-boyfriend and another in which it appeared she was showing off a bright green bra.

Then over the past week, photos surfaced from a Vanity Fair shoot with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz including a shot in which Cyrus appears wrapped in a bedsheet with her bare back exposed. The New York Post published the Vanity Fair cover photo on the front page yesterday (4/28) with the headline "Miley's Shame."

While some people have been posting supportive messages on Cyrus' official MySpace page, others have slammed her, claiming she crossed a line with her young fans and could be headed down "slutty" path akin to Britney Spears.

Cyrus issued an statement Sunday (4/27) saying she was embarrassed by the photos in Vanity Fair, which hits the streets this week. "I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed," Cyrus said in a statement issued through her publicist. "I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."

The Disney Channel star was backed up by her network, which reportedly claimed "a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."

Leibovitz, however, stands by her photos, saying the portrait of Cyrus has been misinterpreted in the media. "Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it," Leibovitz said in a written statement. "The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful."

Vanity Fair maintains the photos were cleared by Cyrus' parents "and/or minders" who were on hand for the shoot. The magazine also quoted Cyrus in a photo caption--released with the photo last week promoting the upcoming interview with her and her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus: "I think it's really artsy," Cyrus said about the photos. "It wasn't in a skanky way. Annie took, like a beautiful shot, and I thought that was really cool."